Investigation Reports

The Registrar of Lobbyists has the legal authority to investigate individuals and organizations in BC who meet certain criteria to ensure they properly register their lobbying activities in the online public registry.

Where there is a compelling public interest, or where a systemic investigation has taken place, the Registrar may publish a detailed investigation report that sets out the particulars of that investigation, including any findings of law and recommendations.

The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association of BC (ICBA) had a change to the designated filer. The organization failed to update the registration to reflect the new designated filer within 30 days of the change contrary to s. 4(2) of the Lobbyists Registration Act (LRA). The designated filer received an administrative penalty of $1000.

A consultant lobbyist was found to be in contravention of section 3(1) of the Lobbyist Registration Act (LRA) for failing to file a return within 10 days after entering into an undertaking to lobby on behalf of his client. An administrative penalty of $500 was imposed.

An individual was in contravention of section 4.1 of the Lobbyist Registration Act (LRA). The individual was not a lobbyist as defined by the LRA. By registering, the individual submitted false information to the registry. The ORL imposed an administrative penalty of $100.

An individual was in contravention of section 4.1 of the Lobbyist Registration Act (LRA). The individual was not a lobbyist within the meaning of the LRA. By registering, the individual submitted false information to the registry. The ORL imposed an administrative penalty of $100.

Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited (Gateway) employs in-house lobbyists. The organization’s designated filer failed to file a return within 30 days of the end date of its previous return contrary to s. 3(3)(b) of the Lobbyists Registration Act (LRA). The designated filer was fined $1,500.

A consultant lobbyist was found to be in contravention of section 3(1) of the Lobbyist Registration Act for failing to file a return within 10 days after entering into an undertaking to lobby on behalf of his client. An administrative penalty of $800 was imposed.

A consultant lobbyist was found to be in contravention of section 3(1) of the Lobbyist Registration Act (LRA) for failing to file a return within 10 days after entering into an undertaking to lobby on behalf of his client. An administrative penalty of $500 was imposed.

A consultant lobbyist was found to be in contravention of section 3(1) of the Lobbyist Registration Act (LRA) for failing to file a return within 10 days after entering into an undertaking to lobby on behalf of his client. An administrative penalty of $500 was imposed.

A consultant lobbyist filed a return to register as a lobbyist on behalf of a client after the deadline required by the Lobbyists Registration Act. The lobbyist was found to be in contravention of section 3(1) of the LRA and an administrative penalty of $700 was imposed.

A consultant lobbyist filed a return to register as a lobbyist on behalf of a client after the deadline required by the Lobbyists Registration Act. The lobbyist was found to be in contravention of section 3(1) of the LRA and an administrative penalty of $500 was imposed.

A consultant lobbyist filed a return to register as a lobbyist on behalf of a client after the deadline required by the Lobbyists Registration Act (“LRA”). The lobbyist was found to be in contravention of section 3(1) of the LRA for failing to file a return within 10 days after entering into an undertaking. An administrative penalty of $750 was imposed.

A consultant lobbyist filed a return to register as a lobbyist on behalf of a client
after the deadline required by the Lobbyists Registration Act. The lobbyist was found to be in
contravention of section 3(1) of the LRA and an administrative penalty of $800 was imposed.

A consultant lobbyist filed a return after the deadline required by the
Lobbyists Registration Act ("LRA"). The lobbyist was found to be in contravention of
section 3( 1) of the LRA for failing to file a return within 1 0 days after entering into an
undertaking. An administrative penalty of $500 was imposed.

A consultant lobbyist filed a return after the deadline required by the
Lobbyists Registration Act ("LRA"). The lobbyist was found to be in contravention of
section 3(1) of the LRA for failing to file a return within 10 days after entering into an
undertaking. An administrative penalty of $500 was imposed.

A consultant lobbyist filed a return after the deadline required by the
Lobbyists Registration Act ("LRA"). The lobbyist was found to be in contravention of
section 3(1) of the LRA for failing to file a return within 10 days after entering into an
undertaking. An administrative penalty of $500 was imposed.

A consultant lobbyist filed a return to register as a lobbyist on behalf of a client
after the deadline required by the Lobbyists Registration Act ("LRA"). The lobbyist was found to
be in contravention of section 3(1) of the LRA and an administrative penalty of $700 was
imposed. The lobbyist also entered an inaccurate undertaking start date into his return, contrary
to s. 4(1) of the LRA, and certified under s. 5(1) of the LRA that the information was true. An
administrative penalty was not imposed for this contravention.

A consultant lobbyist filed a return to register as a lobbyist on behalf of a client
after the deadline required by the Lobbyists Registration Act ("LRA"). The lobbyist was found to
be in contravention of section 3(1) of the LRA and an administrative penalty of $700 was
imposed.

A consultant lobbyist filed a return to register as a lobbyist on behalf of a client
after the deadline required by the Lobbyists Registration Act ("LRA"). The lobbyist was found to
be in contravention of section 3(1) of the LRA and an administrative penalty of $700 was
imposed. The lobbyist also entered an inaccurate undertaking start date into his return, contrary
to s. 4(1) of the LRA and certified under s. 5(1) of the LRA that the information was true. An
administrative penalty was not imposed for this contravention.

A consultant lobbyist filed a return to register as a lobbyist on behalf of a client
after the deadline required by the Lobbyists Registration Act. The lobbyist was found to be in
contravention of section 3(1) of the LRA and an administrative penalty of $700 was imposed.

A consultant lobbyist filed a return to register as a lobbyist on behalf of a client
after the deadline required by the Lobbyists Registration Act. The lobbyist was found to be in
contravention of section 3(1) of the LRA and an administrative penalty of $600 was imposed.

A consultant lobbyist entered into an undertaking to lobby on behalf of her client.
The lobbyist filed her return more than 1 0 days after entering into the undertaking contrary to
s. 3(1) of the Lobbyists Registration Act ("LRA"). Furthermore, the lobbyist entered inaccurate
information, the undertaking start date, into her return contrary to s. 4(1 )(b)(ii) of the LRA and
certified under s. 5( 1) of the LRA that the information was true. An administrative penalty of
$1,700 was imposed.

On January 22, 2014, a consultant lobbyist filed a return, registration ID 18815955,
with the Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists ("ORL") after entering into an undertaking to lobby
on behalf of his client. On January 21, 2015, the lobbyist changed the undertaking end date of
the registration from January 22, 2015 to August 14, 2014. The lobbyist failed to inform the ORL
of the termination of his undertaking within 30 days of its end date, contrary to s. 4(3) of the
Lobbyists Registration Act ("LRA"). An administrative penalty of $500 was imposed.
Statutes Considered:

A consultant lobbyist filed a return to register as a lobbyist on behalf of a client
after the deadline required by the Lobbyists Registration Act. The lobbyist was found to be in
contravention of section 3(1) of the LRA and an administrative penalty of $750 was imposed.

Blair Lekstrom/City of Dawson Creek, District of Chetwynd, District of Tumbler Ridge and Village of Pouce Coupe

During an environmental scan, Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists (“ORL”) staff
discovered a consultant lobbyist who appeared to be lobbying but had not filed a return on the
Lobbyists Registry. ORL staff contacted the lobbyist, verified his lobbying activities and
discussed the requirements for registration. The consultant lobbyist filed four returns with the
Lobbyists Registry. He failed to meet his obligations under s. 3(1) when he did not file his
returns within 10 days of entering into undertakings to lobby on behalf of the clients. An
administrative penalty of $3,000 was imposed.

During an environmental scan, Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists (“ORL”) staff
discovered a consultant lobbyist who appeared to be lobbying but had not filed a return on the
Lobbyists Registry. ORL staff contacted the lobbyist, verified his lobbying activities and
discussed the requirements for registration. The consultant lobbyist filed a return with the ORL
on May 7, 2015. The lobbyist certified that the commencement date of his undertaking was
June 17, 2013. He failed to meet his obligations under s. 3(1) when he did not file a return after
entering into an undertaking to lobby on behalf of a client. An administrative penalty of $3,000
was imposed.

During an environmental scan, Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists ("ORL") staff
discovered a consultant lobbyist who appeared to be lobbying but had not filed a return on the
Lobbyists Registry. ORL staff contacted the lobbyist, verified his lobbying activities and
discussed the requirements for registration. The consultant lobbyist filed a return with the
Lobbyists Registry on May 10, 2015. The lobbyist certified that the commencement date of his
undertaking was June 1, 2013. He failed to meet his obligations under s. 3(1) when he did not
file a return within 1 0 days of entering into an undertaking to lobby on behalf of a client. An
administrative penalty of $2,000 was imposed.

A consultant lobbyist filed a return to register as a lobbyist on behalf of a client
after the deadline required by the Lobbyists Registration Act ("LRA"). The lobbyist was found to
be in contravention of s. 3(1) of the LRA and was fined $1,200.

The British Columbia Teachers' Federation ("BCTF") employs an in-house
lobbyist. The organization's designated filer failed to file a return within 30 days of the end date
of its previous return contrary to s. 3(3)(b) of the Lobbyists Registration Act ("LRA").
The designated filer was fined $1,000.

A consultant lobbyist (the "lobbyist") filed a return with the Office of the Registrar of
Lobbyists ("ORL") on August 13, 2013. The lobbyist certified that the commencement date of his
undertaking was July 1, 2013. An investigation by the ORL found that the lobbyist failed to meet
his obligations under s. 3( 1) of the Lobbyists Registration Act ("LRA '? when he did not file a
return within 1 0 days of entering into an undertaking to lobby on behalf of a client. The lobbyist
asked the Registrar of Lobbyists (the "Registrar") to reconsider the investigator's findings.
Based on new evidence submitted by the lobbyist, the Registrar rescinded the investigator's
findings. However, the new evidence prompted the Registrar to initiate an investigation to
determine whether the lobbyist had possibly contravened s. 4(1) of the LRA. The Investigator
concluded that the lobbyist had contravened s. 3(1) not s. 4(1) of the LRA. The Investigator also
discovered additional evidence which showed that the lobbyist had also contravened ss.
4(1 )(b)(iii), 4(1 )(d) and 4(2)(a) of the LRA. The lobbyist was fined $3,500.

A consultant lobbyist filed a return with the Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists
("ORL") on October 29, 2013. The lobbyist certified that the commencement date of the
undertaking was September 23, 2013. The contract indicated a start date of September 1, 2013.
The return was filed in excess of 1 0 days after the lobbyist entered into an undertaking to lobby
on behalf of his client, contrary to s. 3( 1) of the Lobbyists Registration Act ("LRA"). Furthermore,
the lobbyist entered inaccurate information, the undertaking start date, into his return, contrary
to s. 4( 1) of the LRA and certified under s. 5( 1) of the LRA that the information was true. The
consultant lobbyist was fined $1,500.

A consultant lobbyist (the lobbyist) filed a return with the Office of the Registrar of
Lobbyists (ORL) on May 1, 2014. The lobbyist certified that the commencement date of her
undertaking was January 1, 2014. She failed to meet her obligations under s. 3(1) when she did
not file a return within 1 0 days of entering into an undertaking to lobby on behalf of a client. The
lobbyist was fined $500.

A consultant lobbyist, Brenda Swick, (the lobbyist) filed a return,
registration ID 18815957, with the Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists (ORL) on
January 22, 2014. The lobbyist entered a colleague as another consultant lobbyist
engaged by her to work on the undertaking. ORL staff asked the lobbyist to clarify
whether her colleague would be submitting a new registration or if this was entered in
error. The lobbyist informed the ORL that her colleague was not working on the
undertaking and the file was no longer active. ORL staff advised the lobbyist to remove
her colleague from the return and terminate the registration. The lobbyist did not comply
with s. 4(2)(a) of the Lobbyists Registration Act (LRA) when she failed to remove her
colleague from the return prior to the legislated deadline. The lobbyist also failed to
terminate the registration within the timelines set out in s. 4(3) of the LRA. The lobbyist
was fined $700.

A consultant lobbyist filed a registration to undertake lobbying on behalf of a client
organization. Shortly after registration, the lobbyist resigned from his contract with the client
organization and accepted other employment. The lobbyist did not update his registration until
more than seven months after the time required by the Lobbyists Registration Act. He was
found to be in contravention of s. 4(3) of the Lobbyists Registration Act and fined $500.

A consultant lobbyist filed a return with the Office of the Registrar of
Lobbyists (ORL) on August 8, 2013. The lobbyist certified that the commencement date
of his undertaking was June 18, 2013. He failed to meet his obligations under s. 3(1)
when he did not file a return within 10 days of entering into an undertaking to lobby on
behalf of a client. The consultant lobbyist was fined $600.

A consultant lobbyist filed a registration to undertake lobbying on behalf of
a client. The investigation revealed that the lobbyist failed to meet his obligations under
ss. 3(1) and 4(3) of the Lobbyists Registration Act (LRA) when he did not file a return
within 10 days of entering into an undertaking to lobby on behalf of his client and did not
update his registration's end-date within 30 days. The lobbyist was assessed a
combined administrative monetary penalty of $1,200.

A consultant lobbyist filed a registration to undertake lobbying on behalf of
a client organization. Three months before the end date the lobbyist specified for that
undertaking, an organization hired him as an in-house lobbyist and he ceased to lobby
on behalf of the client organization. The lobbyist did not update his registration until four
months after the actual termination of his undertaking. He was found to be in
contravention of s. 4(3) of the Lobbyists Registration Act and fined $500.

A consultant lobbyist filed a return to register as a lobbyist on behalf of
a client two months after the deadline required by the Lobbyists Registration Act.
The lobbyist was found to be in contravention of s. 3(1) of the Lobbyists Registration Act
and fined $700.

A consultant lobbyist filed a return to register as a lobbyist on behalf of a client one
year after the deadline required by the Lobbyists Registration Act. The lobbyist was found to be
in contravention of the Lobbyists Registration Act and fined $700.

An organization employing an in-house lobbyist was required to file
a return. The organization's designated filer filed a return within the legislated time
frame. There were several outdated target contacts listed in the registration. The Office
of the Registrar of Lobbyists ("ORL") registry manager identified the errors, brought the
errors to the designated filer's attention and asked him to correct them. The designated
filer failed to make the corrections within the time lines set out in the Lobbyists
Registration Act ("LRA"). When he did not make the required corrections, the
organization's registration was deemed not to have been received by the Registrar.
The organization's designated filer thereby failed to file a return as required by s. 3(3)(b)
of the LRA within 30 days of its previous return and was fined $1,000.

Cynthia (Burton) Shore, a consultant lobbyist, filed a return with the ORL on
June 25, 2013. The lobbyist certified that the commencement date of the undertaking was
May 1, 2013. The lobbyist failed to meet her obligations under s. 3(1) when she did not file
a return within 10 days after entering into an undertaking to lobby on behalf of a client.
The consultant lobbyist was fined $700.

British Columbia Association of Chiefs of Police and British Columbia Association of Municipal Chiefs of Police

The Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists conducted an investigation to determine whether
the British Columbia Association of Chiefs of Police and the British Columbia Association
of Municipal Chiefs of Police were required to register under the LRA. The Acting
Deputy Registrar found that the police associations are not required to register as
lobbyists under the LRA, because their members communicate with public office holders
in their official capacity as employees of a local government authority or the government
of Canada and are exempt from the requirement to register.

A consultant lobbyist filed a registration, which was allowed to lapse when
it expired. Nearly six months later, the same consultant lobbyist filed a new registration,
which comprised the same undertaking to lobby for the same client as the registration
that had been allowed to lapse. The consultant lobbyist admits that he had lobbied
during the period during which his registration had lapsed, and was found to have
contravened section 4(2)(a) of the LRA. He was fined $506.

The Lobbyist admitted to registering lobbying activity on behalf of a client that was not taking place. The Acting Deputy Registrar found the alleged contravention of supplying inaccurate information to the Registrar of Lobbyists to be substantiated and issued a monetary penalty of $25.

The Lobbyist admitted to registering lobbying activity on behalf of a client that was not taking place. The Acting Deputy Registrar found the alleged contravention of supplying inaccurate information to the Registrar of Lobbyists to be substantiated and issued a monetary penalty of $25.

The Lobbyist admitted to registering lobbying activity on behalf of a client that was not taking place. The Acting Deputy Registrar found the alleged contravention of supplying inaccurate information to the Registrar of Lobbyists to be substantiated and issued a monetary penalty of $25.

The Lobbyist admitted to registering lobbying activity on behalf of a client that was not taking place. The Acting Deputy Registrar found the alleged contravention of supplying inaccurate information to the Registrar of Lobbyists to be substantiated and issued a monetary penalty of $25.

The Lobbyist admitted to registering lobbying activity on behalf of a client that was not taking place. The Acting Deputy Registrar found the alleged contravention of supplying inaccurate information to the Registrar of Lobbyists to be substantiated and issued a monetary penalty of $25.

The Lobbyist admitted to registering lobbying activity on behalf of a client that was not taking place. The Acting Deputy Registrar found the alleged contravention of supplying inaccurate information to the Registrar of Lobbyists to be substantiated and issued a monetary penalty of $25.

The Lobbyist admitted to registering lobbying activity on behalf of a client that was not taking place. The Acting Deputy Registrar found the alleged contravention of supplying inaccurate information to the Registrar of Lobbyists to be substantiated and issued a monetary penalty of $25.

The Lobbyist admitted to terminating the registration for the lobbying activity after the 30-day requirement of s. 4(3) of the LRA. The Acting Deputy Registrar found the alleged contravention to be substantiated and issued a monetary penalty of $25.

The Lobbyist admitted to terminating the registration for the lobbying activity after the 30-day requirement of s. 4(3) of the LRA. The Acting Deputy Registrar found the alleged contravention to be substantiated and issued a monetary penalty of $25.

The Lobbyist admitted to terminating the registration for the lobbying activity after the 30-day requirement of s. 4(3) of the LRA. The Acting Deputy Registrar found the alleged contravention to be substantiated and issued a monetary penalty of $25.

The Lobbyist admitted to terminating the registration for the lobbying activity after the 30-day requirement of s. 4(3) of the LRA. The Acting Deputy Registrar found the alleged contravention to be substantiated and issued a monetary penalty of $25.

The Lobbyist admitted to terminating the registration for the lobbying activity after the 30-day requirement of s. 4(3) of the LRA. The Acting Deputy Registrar found the alleged contravention to be substantiated and issued a monetary penalty of $25.

The Lobbyist admitted to terminating the registration for the lobbying activity after the 30-day requirement of s. 4(3) of the LRA. The Acting Deputy Registrar found the alleged contravention to be substantiated and issued a monetary penalty of $25.